SC likely to take up contempt plea against Kunal Kamra on Dec 17
New Delhi, Dec 14: The Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea on Thursday by a group of lawyers and law students seeking to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against comedian Kunal Kamra for scandalising the court though his tweets.
The plea was filed after Attorney General K.K. Venugopal gave consent to initiate contempt against Kamra.
The computer-generated case details, published on the website of the top court, state that a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising Justices R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah is likely to take up the plea through video conferencing.
The plea, filed by law students Shrirang Katneshwarkar, Nitika Duhan, and advocates Amey Abhay Sirsikar, Abhishek Sharan Raskar, and Sattyendra Vinayak Muley, said: “The alleged contemnor (Kamra) has the following of 1.7 million people. The scandalous tweets of the alleged contemnor were seen by his followers and many of them retweeted the same.”
Citing Section 2 (c) (i) of Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, the petitioners argued that this section is explicit and the tweets published by Kamra clearly show he allegedly committed gross contempt of the apex court.
The plea said that every follower of Kamra on Twitter must have read the tweets and more than one thousand people have retweeted the scandalous tweets. The petitioners insisted that Kamra was fully aware of his action. “When some persons tried to make the alleged contemnor aware about the contempt of this court, the alleged contemnor was rude, arrogant and unapologetic. The conduct of the alleged contemnor shows that he has no regard for this court,” said the plea.
The plea contended that the AG by reproducing the tweets observed that the tweets are not only in bad taste but clearly cross the line between humour and contempt of the court.
The petitioners said though the Supreme Court has let off contemnors in the past upon tendering an apology, but this case is different. “The conduct of the alleged contemnor is so harsh that the alleged contemnor does not deserve any sympathy at the hands of this court even in case of tendering apology. Citizens of this country strongly believe that the people like the alleged contemnor should not be spared at any cost,” said the plea seeking action against Kamra.
The AG, in a response to the letters of the petitioners in the matter, had said that it is time that people understand that attacking the Supreme Court unjustifiably and brazenly will attract punishment.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
